Home for the Holidays

Published by Erica on December 20, 2013

Last Christmas I performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in their annual Christmas concert – as a dancer, of course! It was my second year doing the production, and I am so thrilled I was able to participate in it. The 2012 show featured Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw, with a surprise special guest, Gail “Hal” Halvorsen – also known as the Candy Bomber in WWII. They’re very strict about sharing photos of guests, costumes, set, etc, so all the performers had to sign an agreement to keep photos off the mainstream until the DVD was released.

Well, the DVD is out and another Christmas concert has filled the walls of the Conference Center, so it’s time to share what I was up to a year ago. Auditioning last year was an act of bravery as much as it was an act of desire – performing in that concert led me to meet someone who profoundly influenced my life, though not in the happiest of ways. Auditioning and performing again was my way of staring down fear and telling the world that I would not live in the shadows of what might be. No, I would perform no matter who might be there on the tech crew. And perform I did.

Alfie Boe is an amazing talent, and so humble and generous! It was an honor to meet him and chat with him during the concert run. I also got to meet Richard Elliott, the wizard on the organ who charms audiences with his amazing skills and musical interpretation. He took up the organ as an adult and I really enjoyed hearing some of his story about learning and excelling at this instrument. The choir members, orchestra, fellow dancers, and bell ringers all made the show a success on stage and rewarding backstage.

** Side note: I hear I am in the video again this year. I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to watch it and verify this.
*Other side note: I really should touch up my hair more frequently. The whole dark roots with light hair looks less classy and more obvious than I realize.